Nato hopeful Rutte should show Hungary more respect, Orbán says

Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán has outlined his conditions for backing Dutch premier Mark Rutte as the new Nato chief in an interview with local news magazine Mandiner.

Hungary, Orbán said, has two demands, the first a matter of honour, the second a military claim.

“There are two statements the Hungarian people will not forgive him for,” Orbán said. “First he said that Hungarians should be excluded from the European Union, and then he said that Hungary should be brought to its knees.”

Rutte made the comments in 2021 when referring to new anti-LGBTI legislation and said there was no place in the EU if Hungary went ahead with the legislation.

In the interview, Orbán said if Rutte is asking for Hungary’s support for the Nato top job, he has to show the country more respect and “say something” about his earlier statements.

The NRC said on Wednesday that Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg would visit Budapest in the coming days to discuss his objections to Rutte. That might then be followed by a visit by Rutte to meet Orbán in person, the paper said, quoting anonymous sources.

In terms of military conditions, Orbán said Hungary cannot support a Nato secretary general who advocates making military action outside the alliance compulsory.

“We would like to conclude an agreement that we will not participate in Nato operations against the Russians in Ukraine, even if we are Nato members,” he said.

Hungary and Romania are the only two countries that have not yet backed Rutte as Stoltenberg’s successor. The decision has to be unanimous.